Portable remote presence robot

ABSTRACT

A tele-presence system that includes a portable robot face coupled to a remote station. The robot face includes a robot monitor, a robot camera, a robot speaker and a robot microphone. The remote station includes a station monitor, a station camera, a station speaker and a station microphone. The portable robot face can be attached to a platform mounted to the ceiling of an ambulance. The portable robot face can be used by a physician at the remote station to provide remote medical consultation. When the patient is moved from the ambulance the portable robot face can be detached from the platform and moved with the patient.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The subject matter disclosed generally relates to the field of robotictele-presence systems.

2. Background Information

Robots have been used in a variety of applications. For example, robotshave been used in manufacturing facilities, bomb detection/detonation,medical facilities, etc. The assignee of the present application hasdeveloped a tele-presence robot that includes a robot that is remotelycontrolled through a remote control station. The system is marketedunder the product name RP-7. Both the robot and the remote stationinclude cameras, monitors, microphones and speakers to allow for twoaudio-visual communication. The remote station also includes a joystickthat can be operated by the user to move the robot and a robot head.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A tele-presence system that includes a portable robot face coupled to aremote station. The robot face includes a robot monitor, a robot camera,a robot speaker and a robot microphone. The remote station includes astation monitor, a station camera, a station speaker and a stationmicrophone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a tele-presence system that includes aremote station coupled to a portable robot face located within anambulance;

FIG. 2 is an illustration showing the portable robot face within theambulance;

FIG. 3 is an illustration showing the portable robot face detached froma platform mounted to the ambulance ceiling;

FIG. 4 is an illustration showing the portable robot face attached to apatient gurney;

FIG. 5 is an illustration showing the portable robot face attached to astand;

FIG. 6 is an illustration showing a patient within a healthcare facilitythat has a robot face attached to a boom.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed is a tele-presence system that includes a portable robot facecoupled to a remote station. The robot face includes a robot monitor, arobot camera, a robot speaker and a robot microphone. The remote stationincludes a station monitor, a station camera, a station speaker and astation microphone. The portable robot face can be attached to aplatform mounted to the ceiling of an ambulance. The portable robot facecan be used by a physician at the remote station to provide remotemedical consultation. When the patient is moved from the ambulance theportable robot face can be detached from the platform and moved with thepatient.

Referring to the drawings more particularly by reference numbers, FIG. 1shows a tele-presence system 10. The system 10 includes a portable robotface 12 that is coupled to a remote control station 14 through awireless network 18. The wireless network may be a cellular broadbandnetwork and/or a WiFi network. The portable robot face 12 is locatedwithin an ambulance 20.

The remote control station 14 may include a computer 22 that has amonitor 24, a camera 26, a microphone 28 and a speaker 30. The computer22 may also contain an input device 32 such as a joystick or a mouse.The control station 14 is typically located in a place that is remotefrom the robot face 12. Although only one remote control station 14 isshown, the system 10 may include a plurality of remote stations 14. Ingeneral any number of robot faces 12 may be coupled to any number ofremote stations 14 or other robot faces 12. For example, one remotestation 14 may be coupled to a plurality of robot faces 12, or one robotface 12 may be coupled to a plurality of remote stations 14, or aplurality of robot faces 12. The system may include an arbitrator (notshown) that controls access between the robot face(s) 12 and the remotestations 14.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the portable robot face 12 may be attached toa platform 34. The platform 34 may extend from the ceiling (not shown)of the ambulance 20. The platform 34 may include articulate joints 36and 38 that provide at least two degrees of freedom and allow a user tomove the robot face 12 to different positions to view a patient and anEMT within the ambulance.

Each robot face 12 includes a camera(s) 50, a monitor 52, amicrophone(s) 54 and a speaker(s) 56 that are all attached to a housing58. The robot camera 50 is coupled to the remote monitor 24 so that auser at the remote station 14 can view the patient and/or EMT. Likewise,the robot monitor 52 is coupled to the remote camera 26 so the patientand EMT may view the user of the remote station 14. The microphones 28and 54, and speakers 30 and 56, allow for audible communication betweenthe system operator and the patient and/or EMT.

The system 10 allows a system user such as a physician to view a patientin the ambulance and provide remote medical consultation through theremote station 14 and the robot face 12. Personnel such as the EMT cantransmit questions and responses through the system back to thephysician. The robot camera 50 allows the physician to view the patientand enhance the medical consultation. The robot monitor 52 can displaythe physician to provide a feeling of presence in the ambulance. Theplatform 34 allows the physician to pan and tilt the robot face 12.

The robot face 12 may include a wireless transceiver 60 that is coupledto the wireless network. The portable face 12 also includes a battery62.

The system 10 may have certain components and software that are the sameor similar to a robotic system provided by the assignee InTouch-Health,Inc. of Santa Barbara, Calif. under the name RP-7 and embodies a systemdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,925,357, which is hereby incorporated byreference.

As shown in FIG. 3, the portable robot face 12 can be detached from theplatform 34. The robot face 12 and platform 34 may have mechanicalconnectors 64 that allow the face 12 to be readily attached and detachedfrom the platform 34. Likewise, the robot face 12 and platform 34 mayinclude electrical connectors 66. The ambulance may include a wirelesstransceiver (not shown) that can provide wireless communication to theremote station. The electrical connectors 66 provide an electricalconnection between the robot face 12 and the ambulance wirelesstransceiver. The connectors 66 may also provide power to the robot face12. Alternatively, the wireless transceiver 60 of the robot face 12 maybe coupled to the remote station through the ambulance wirelesstransceiver. The robot face may include an actuator system 68 that canmove the camera 50 in two degrees of freedom. This allows the operatorto move the camera field of view even when the face 12 is detached fromthe platform 34.

As shown in FIG. 4 the portable robot face 12 can be detached from theplatform (not shown) and attached to the patient gurney 70. The robotface 12 may be attached to a platform 72 with two degrees of freedomthat allow the remote station user to move the robot face 12. Theplatform 72 may include a clamp 74 that allows for attachment to thegurney 70. The robot face 12 and patient can be moved out of theambulance on the gurney 70. The portable aspect of the robot face 12allows the face to be moved with the patient. The robot face 12 shouldbe of a size and weight so that an individual can lift the face 12.

As shown in FIG. 5 the portable robot face 12 can be detached from theambulance platform (not shown) and attached to a stand 80 at a remotelocation. The portable nature of the robot face 12 allows the face 12 tobe taken to any location to allow for remote tele-presence of theoperator of the remote station. If the operator is a physician theportable robot face 12 allows for remote medical consultation at anysite.

FIG. 6 shows the patient and gurney moved into a healthcare facilitywith a robot face 90 attached to a boom 92. When the gurney 70 is movedinto close proximity with the healthcare facility the robot facewireless transceiver may be coupled to the remote station thru thehealthcare facility local wireless network such as a WiFi network. Onceinside the facility the portable robot face can be connected to anelectrical power outlet and a network for Ethernet connection. Anelectronic identification (ID) device 94 may be attached to the patient.The ID device 94 may transmit a wireless signal to the robot face 90attached to the boom 92. Receipt of the signal by the face 90 may causethe remote station to be coupled to the robot face 90 attached to theboom 92 instead of the portable robot face 12. The robot face 90 may becoupled to the remote station by other means. For example, a nurse maytype in information into the healthcare facility network system thatidentifies the new location of the patient. Such an entry may cause thesystem to switch the remote control station to the robot face 90.Additionally, there may be other methodologies for inducing the systemto automatically transfer the remote station from one robot to anotherrobot.

While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in theaccompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments aremerely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, andthat this invention not be limited to the specific constructions andarrangements shown and described, since various other modifications mayoccur to those ordinarily skilled in the art.

1. A method for providing a remote medical consultation, comprising:capturing an image of a physician with a station camera of a remotestation, the remote station includes a station monitor, a stationspeaker and a station microphone; transmitting the physician image to aportable robot face mounted to a platform, the robot face including arobot monitor, a robot camera, a robot speaker and a robot microphone;displaying the physician image on the robot monitor; capturing an imageof a patient with the robot camera; transmitting the patient image tothe remote station; displaying the patient image on the station monitorof the remote station; transmitting an audio command from the stationmicrophone to the robot speaker; detaching the portable robot face fromthe platform; and, attaching a wireless identification (ID) device tothe patient and moving the patient into a healthcare facility thatincludes a robot face attached to a boom, the robot face receives awireless signal from the wireless identification (ID) device and theremote station becomes coupled to the robot face attached to the boom.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the platform is attached to anambulance.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising attaching theportable robot face to a patient gurney.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising coupling the portable robot face to a healthcarefacility network through a wireless transceiver of the portable robotface.
 5. A method for providing a remote medical consultation,comprising: capturing an image of a physician with a station camera of aremote station, the remote station includes a station monitor, a stationspeaker and a station microphone; transmitting the physician image to aportable robot face mounted to a platform, the robot face including arobot monitor, a robot camera, a robot speaker and a robot microphone;displaying the physician image on the robot monitor; capturing an imageof a patient with the robot camera; transmitting the patient image tothe remote station; displaying the patient image on the station monitorof the remote station; transmitting an audio command from the stationmicrophone to the robot speaker; moving the patient into a healthcarefacility that includes a robot face attached to a boom, the robot facereceives a wireless signal from a wireless identification (ID) deviceassociated with the patient; and, coupling the robot face of thehealthcare facility to the remote station.
 6. A method for providingmedical consultation, comprising: capturing an image of a physician witha station camera of a remote station, the remote station includes astation monitor, a station speaker and a station microphone;transmitting the physician image to a first robot, the first robotincludes a robot monitor, a robot camera, a robot speaker and a robotmicrophone; displaying the physician image on the robot monitor;capturing an image of a patient with the robot camera; transmitting thepatient image to the remote station; displaying the patient image on thestation monitor of the remote station; transmitting an audio commandfrom the station microphone to the robot speaker; moving the patientinto a vicinity of a second robot; and, coupling automatically theremote station to the second robot, wherein the second robot of thehealthcare facility receives a wireless signal from a wirelessidentification (ID) device associated with the patient that causes theremote station to become coupled to the second robot.
 7. A method forproviding a remote medical consultation, comprising: capturing an imageof a physician with a station camera of a remote station, the remotestation includes a station monitor, a station speaker and a stationmicrophone; transmitting the physician image to a portable face mountedto an ambulance, the portable face including a face monitor, a facecamera, a face speaker and a face microphone; displaying the physicianimage on the face monitor; capturing an image of a patient with the facecamera; transmitting the patient image to the remote station; displayingthe patient image on the station monitor of the remote station;transmitting an audio command from the station microphone to the facespeaker; detaching the portable face from the ambulance; and, attachinga wireless identification (ID) device to the patient and moving thepatient into a healthcare facility that includes a robot face attachedto a boom, the robot face receives a wireless signal from the wirelessID device and the remote station becomes coupled to the robot face. 8.The method of claim 7, further comprising coupling the portable face toa healthcare facility network through a wireless transceiver of theportable face.
 9. A method for providing a remote medical consultation,comprising: capturing an image of a physician with a station camera of aremote station, the remote station includes a station monitor, a stationspeaker and a station microphone; transmitting the physician image to aportable face mounted to a platform, the portable face including a facemonitor, a face camera, a face speaker and a face microphone; displayingthe physician image on the face monitor; capturing an image of a patientwith the face camera; transmitting the patient image to the remotestation; displaying the patient image on the station monitor of theremote station; transmitting an audio command from the stationmicrophone to the face speaker; moving the patient into a healthcarefacility that includes a robot face attached to a boom; and, couplingthe robot face of the healthcare facility to the remote station, whereinthe robot face of the healthcare facility receives a wireless signalfrom a wireless identification (ID) device associated with the patient.10. A method for providing medical consultation, comprising: capturingan image of a physician with a station camera of a remote station, theremote station includes a station monitor, a station speaker and astation microphone; transmitting the physician image to a portable face,the portable face includes a face monitor, a face camera, a face speakerand a face microphone; displaying the physician image on the facemonitor; capturing an image of a patient with the face camera;transmitting the patient image to the remote station; displaying thepatient image on the station monitor of the remote station; transmittingan audio command from the station microphone to the face speaker; movingthe patient into a vicinity of a robot that has a robot monitor, a robotcamera, a robot speaker and a robot microphone; and, couplingautomatically the remote station to the robot, wherein the robot of thehealthcare facility receives a wireless signal from a wirelessidentification (ID) device associated with the patient that causes theremote station to become coupled to the robot.